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Writer's pictureDale Lauterback

Tracking Animals for Photography: Final Results - Reptiles

Updated: Jul 6, 2023


It's been a year since I started this project last September of 2021 which included four seasons, well if you can call it four seasons in California. Even though it doesn't seem like four seasons, nature still follows a schedule. The natural schedule of things has an extra layer of complication added to my research area. This extra layer is the availability of water, and when spring the busiest time for nature comes around the water starts to disappear.



Out of all the wildlife in my research area, the reptiles were the least abundant. In early spring the only reptile I came across was a California Tree frog. As summer came many lizards sunned themselves in the early morning including newly born Horned Lizards (Horny Toads).

I was hoping for more snakes. It was a good year for rabbits, Squirrels, and mice, but I only saw one snake the whole year and that was a Gopher snake. I even went as far as looking for rattlesnakes at certain times of the day and in the places they would be, but no luck.



Reptiles in the area:

​Confirmed

​

California Blackheaded Snake

California King Snake

California Toad

California Tree Frog

California Whipsnake

Desert Horned Lizard

Desert Spiny Lizard

Diamondback Rattlesnake

Garter Snake

Gopher Snake

Racer Snake

Side-blotched Lizard

Spotted Whiptail Lizard

Western Fence Lizard


No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes


-

-

-

Visual, Photo

-

Visual, Photo

Visual, Photo

-

-

Visual, Photo

-

Visual, Photo

Visual, Photo

Visual, Photo

Signs: Can refer to anything from Sounds, Bones, Fur, Feathers, or something the animal creates.


Personal Progress:

Stats

Total Time Frame: 12 Months

Boots on the Ground Days: 21

Miles Covered: 105

Low Temp: 42

High Temp: 102

Flowers Photographed: 64

Insects Photographed: 18

Mammals Photographed: 11

Reptiles Photographed: 8

Birds Photographed: 17


Gear:
  • Vortex Recon Optix 8x32 Monocular

  • Nikon Z7 II

  • Nikon Z 70-200mm Lens

  • Nikon Z 105mm Macro Lens

  • Shimoda Designs Action X30 Pack

  • Peak Designs Travel Tripod

  • MountainSmith Trekker FX Lite Trekking Pole with Manfrotto RC2 Head

  • Helinox Chair One

  • Game Camera(s)

The photographs contained in this website may not be reproduced without the express consent of Shutter Bison.


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